The present invention relates to geometries of an object, such as the human body, with a three dimensional (3-D) sonic digitizer. With regard to the human body, these geometries include: upper body landmarks such as the shoulder, spine and hip; lower body axes and lengths; and foot landmarks.
The measurements are made by placing sonic or other digitizer sources at locations such as the shoulders, waist and legs to monitor the position of the body during various measuring sequences. The sonic digitizer determines the position of the sources in space by measuring the time for the sound to reach an array of microphones. In another embodiment, infra red digitizer sources may be employed.
The basic anthropometric information required to model the foot system and specify the shoe/foot system for shoe design criteria is obtained by use of the present measuring system, sometimes referred to herein as "Bio-Exam". The present system is intended to be as computerized and streamlined as possible so that a large data base can be generated easily and population segments can be established.
Previous systems for measuring the dimensions of various objects are described in the following U.S. Pat. Nos.: 3,176,263 to Douglas; 3,457,647 to Cohen et al.; 3,924,450 to Uchiyama et al.; 4,539,754 to Antony et al.; 4,603,486 to Moroney et al.; and 4,604,807 to Bock et al. These U.S. Pat. Nos. are incorporated herein by reference.
By the present invention, all 3-D coordinates and axes are referenced to a movable reference system, called the T-Square coordinate system, which rests on the horizontal plane of the global or laboratory based coordinate system of the 3-D digitizer. Data taken into the digitizer in base coordinates is therefore transformed into the T-Square coordinate system.
All measurements may be performed, for example, with a plurality of sonic sources which may be connected appropriately to the digitizer, through use of a color coding system.
Generally, the subject is either stabilized to minimize extraneous movement to within acceptable limits, or the body is monitored for movement during the test sequence.
The T-Square references the foot position by repeatably contacting three points: the rear of the heel, the lateral malleolus and the lateral side of the sole of the foot.
Body and foot landmarks are located with a measuring wand which is formed by two sources and a measuring tip, all in linear alignment. Measurements are taken while the tip rests on the point to be measured with the 3-D coordinates accepted only after the standard deviation of the data is less than a predetermined standard such as 0.7 millimeter.
Axes are measured by swinging the appropriate body segment through an arc in space, finding the plane of the arc and then referencing the axis to the T-Square coordinate system.
The present invention provides a method of measurement which includes protocols, analyses and fixtures.
In one embodiment, the invention is intended to supply basic anthropometric information required to model the foot system and, further, to supply design criteria for the shoe/foot system. In addition, the invention has the capability to systematically gather data into a streamlined computer data base in a rapid and efficient manner in order to establish shoe design criteria for the general population.
Only in the last 15 years or so has the ability to measure motions in 3-D space become routinely available. Most of the systems, however, have been very elaborate, cumbersome and expensive. By the present invention, with the use of relatively inexpensive digitizers such as 3-D sonic digitizers, the analyses and protocols for rapid body measurements have now been developed.
The BioExam system of the present invention differs from previous systems because of the unique fixtures, software algorithms, and protocols which may be combined to make the various tests as streamlined and comfortable as possible. A time period of approximately fifteen minutes is all that is required to collect and analyze 3-D data for the feet base and angle, upper body, feet morphology, ankle axes, knee axes, hip axes and hip rotation.